Batman created by Bob Kane
Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Body of Evidence (Part 2 of “Knights Passed”)
Written by: Scott Beatty
Penciled by: Roger Robinson
Inked by: John Floyd
Colored by: Noelle Giddings
Separated by: Wildstorm FX
Lettered by: Bob Pinaha
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC
As I have said before, writer Scott Beatty is a solid and under appreciated writer who delivers very accessible human tales.
The current Knights Passed arc in Batman: Gotham Knights finally addresses many issues that have dangled for years within Batman lore – including what happened after A Death in the Family and the practical arrangements that Bruce Wayne, not Batman, had to make to take care of Jason Todd’s affairs – after his (the second Robin’s) violent death at the hands of the Joker (and readers).
Batman: Gotham Knights #44 builds on issue #43 and reveals how Bruce Wayne secured Jason Todd’s corpse for transportation back to Gotham City from overseas, and how he and Dick Grayson – Nightwing, the first Robin – dealt with Jason’s death, and other really interesting post-Todd revelations.
Also – in an interesting flashback – a candid moment between Batman and Superman after their confrontation with the Joker after Jason’s death, reveals Batman’s frustrations over his truly never-ending-battle with him:
Batman: Did you find him? NO… of course you didn’t find him.
Superman: Batman, I…
Batman: He does insane, horrible things. And then we fight. And then he escapes no matter how hard I try to stop him. That’s the punchline… I never stop him.
Superman: …You will.
Batman: I wish I had your optimism.
Scotty Beatty delivers a great story for a book, Gotham Knights, that has been sadly overshadowed by the fantastic Hush arc delivered in the “main” Batman title by scribe Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee – think you’ve heard of them before.
With the exception of Beatty, the creative team of Gotham Knights are not names that are recognizable, although they have collectively delivered solid stories from cover to cover in this series for some time now.
Penciler Roger Robinson draws with such emotion its hard not be moved by his work. He’s clearly influenced by Frank Miller. Excellent stuff!
Batman: Gotham Knights #44 is a great read that advances the current arc that has Bruce Wayne being taken to court by Jason Todd’s biological father as well as revealing, through flashbacks, some interesting moments that flowed from the death of the second Robin.
My one nitpick about this book is that some of the transitions between modern day and the past (i.e. the flashbacks) are not well differentiated. It is hard to follow in a few spots.
However, this arc, and this issue in particular, is still highly recommended and makes (so far) a nice epilogue to A Death in the Family.
